Mayors Romero and Gallego React to Governor Ducey’s Nonsensical Executive Order Against Vaccine Mandates

Last week (December 15, 2021,) Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, in another bid to show the science denying-antivaxer members of his base that he is on their side, issued an Executive Order that forbids state, city, town, or county government offices from mandating vaccines for Grand Canyon State Residents.

The exact wording was:

“No person shall be required by this state, or any city, town or county to obtain a COVID 19 vaccine but a health care institution licensed pursuant to A.R.S. Title 36, chapter four may require the institution’s employees to be vaccinated.”

This despite the fact that the wording of a substantial portion of the Executive Order acknowledges the severity of the Coronavirus and the need for people to get vaccinated.

eo_2021-21

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego do not find the Governor’s Executive Order helpful in promoting public safety and advancing the common good.

Mayor Romero, in a press release, relayed:

“Arizona Attorney General Brnovich already told the Governor what he doesn’t want to hear. He has no authority to preempt local actions through executive orders. The Governor needs to focus on the crisis at hand as COVID-19 cases rise. He can’t say that he’s for public health and tie the hands of cities and counties as the pandemic surges to record levels and hospital ICU beds dwindle. Our employees (99 percent of them) answered the call to protect each other and protect our community,” 

Mayor Gallego commented:

“The governor seems to think local governments are the enemy, when in fact, the virus is the enemy we need to overcome.”

Mayors Romero and Gallego are both right.

Local governments are not the enemy and Mr. Ducey should not tie the hands of local agencies that are on the front line combatting the COVID 19 pandemic as the new Omicron variant takes hold and the Delta one has not yet subsided.

Unfortunately, this has been a consistent posture from Mr. Ducey toward local governments since the summer of 2020. He has continually quarreled with Mayors like Romero and Gallego over Coronavirus policy.

The science denying-antivaxer sheep that make up the Republican base in Arizona do not need an enabling coward leading them.

They need a wise shepherd that will tell them which way to turn.